as in to pick at
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders
kept pecking at their prodigal daughter to get off the couch and to start looking for a job
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peck (at)
Verb
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But the proposal, controversial for its potential impact on the climate, has also been dogged by long-standing doubts about its commercial viability, with ExxonMobil, BP and ConocoPhilips backing out of the project in 2016.—
Max Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2025 -
But it’s been dogged by controversy over resurfaced racist tweets by trans star Gascón.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
2 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Smirk flies under the banner Make Fun, Not War and delights to needle and tweak the NFL and the gravitas of its Big Game.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
7 Feb. 2025
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That’s also the case for Peter Doocy, the White House correspondent who relished needling President Biden and his aides, and will now be scrutinized for his handling of Mr. Trump.—
Michael M. Grynbaum,
New York Times,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The caller also begs the grandparent not to tell mom and dad.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
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But The Electric State begs for playfulness, dynamism, some sense of dash and charm.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Driving the news: The NTSB, in an urgent safety recommendation report, urged the FAA to prohibit helicopters from flying near DCA when runways 15 and 33 are in use.—
Avery Lotz,
Axios,
11 Mar. 2025
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Drivers are urged to limit their journeys, take public transport, or car-share to help bring pollution levels down.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Nevertheless, a little voice in the back of your head seems to be nagging you about something.—
Georgia Nicols,
The Denver Post,
4 Mar. 2025
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In the 2010s, the developmental scientist Ron Dahl and Jennifer Silk, a University of Pittsburgh psychology professor, started wondering what went on inside adolescents’ brains when their parents nagged them.—
Jenny Anderson,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Gathering at Scripps Research’s third annual Pandemic Preparedness Symposium last week, researchers working in virology and chemistry did not bother to debate whether or not H5N1 avian influenza will clear this rapidly shrinking hurdle.—
Paul Sisson,
The Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2025
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As Caro settled into life in a new country, one thing often bothered him.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Others, however, heralded the show as an aspirational escape, and hit back at detractors for continuing to hound a woman who has been open about the effects of public bullying.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
13 Mar. 2025
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In the novel, Adichie vividly imagines the lawyerly grilling, the media hounding, the experience of being ambushed and isolated.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Peck (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peck%20%28at%29. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.
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